Finally a Positive Mainstream Article

[returnofthemack]

Used to not like Pat Forde very much but my opinion of him has increased exponentially: Notre Dame won't compromise values for wins - Yahoo! Sports

 

[IrishFBfanatic]

Awesome article! I love seeing stuff like that about ND

 

[tadman95]

Nice to see a balanced perspective.

 

[tommyIRISH23]

Used to not like Pat Forde very much but my opinion of him has increased exponentially: Notre Dame won't compromise values for wins - Yahoo! Sports

Hopefully we'll see articles written in the near future praising ND for winning the right way. Imagine ND winning a title while doing it the right way? CFB, and, frankly, our country and culture could use a story like that as well. ND wins championship through unparalleled hard work, and determination while not compromising the standards she sets for herself.

 

[TDHeysus]

from the above linked article:

"Penn State sacrificed its principles on the altar of king football, with tragic results. North Carolina has made a mockery of its academic reputation in an effort to admit and keep eligible marginally prepared football stars. There are looming NCAA clouds over Miami and Oregon, a postseason ban at Ohio State, and just-concluded penalties at USC.

We see all the fresh carnage caused by a loss of perspective. We howl at the scandals that diminish the game.

And still Notre Dame gets ripped and mocked for not winning enough."

====================================================================


“There are no mixed messages at Notre Dame. Not everybody is going to fit it, and I think that’s a two-way street.”

 

[tommyIRISH23]

from the above linked article:

"Penn State sacrificed its principles on the altar of king football, with tragic results. North Carolina has made a mockery of its academic reputation in an effort to admit and keep eligible marginally prepared football stars. There are looming NCAA clouds over Miami and Oregon, a postseason ban at Ohio State, and just-concluded penalties at USC.

We see all the fresh carnage caused by a loss of perspective. We howl at the scandals that diminish the game.

And still Notre Dame gets ripped and mocked for not winning enough."

Yeah really. People hate the saint more than the villain.

 

[ulukinatme]

I gotta say, I didn't have much respect for Forde when he worked for ESPN. Dunno if there is a culture there of tearing down Notre Dame...but I've changed my opinion of the guy after this article. I almost feel guilty for wanting a better football team after reading that...I'm not saying we do all the right things, we've had a few controversies the last 5 years, but overall the university strives for excellence in the classroom and molding individuals into leaders, and they achieve those results better than just about anyone. You have to admire that above all else.

 

[obi wan mahoney]

Awesome of course! The positive pub' is good but it's a good reminder of why we are ND fans as the season starts

 

[yankeeND]

That was nice to have someone besides all of us say this to the masses! Standards are something that not everyone has but at least ours give the opportunity to these young men who find themselves in bad situations to stand up be a man and right their wrongs they have done and become productive citizens. For some coaches they will let things slide until they can't hide the problem anymore and in some cases will just dump the kids out by the curb. I'm glad our coaches don't do that and I'm glad our guys graduate and I'm glad our kids own up to their mistakes! That's part of the reason I'm a fan!

 

[tdbaum1]

I gotta say, I didn't have much respect for Forde when he worked for ESPN. Dunno if there is a culture there of tearing down Notre Dame...but I've changed my opinion of the guy after this article. I almost feel guilty for wanting a better football team after reading that...I'm not saying we do all the right things, we've had a few controversies the last 5 years, but overall the university strives for excellence in the classroom and molding individuals into leaders, and they achieve those results better than just about anyone. You have to admire that above all else.

Yeah...it made me feel a bit guilty as well. I have always thought that I wanted ND to have a powerhouse football program again no matter what it took. After reading this I understand a lot more that that isn't the most important thing here. So...as someone else eluded too...I can't wait for us to be the powerhouse again while keeping true to our standards at the same time!!!! Go Irish...Shake Down The Thunder!!!! Great article! As you can tell I'm pretty amped about this article.

 

[ACamp1900]

Yeah really. People hate the saint more than the villain.

I always thought Forde was a hater... maybe I am confusing him with someone else...

anyway to the above point, I was listening to Dave Ramsey not too long ago and he made an interesting comment, he discussed how this society has no problem with next to talentless actors and singers making millions while degrading our moral compass and often stealing the ideas/songs/work of others... that's fine and they are honored... but anytime a business owner makes it big, we tend to automatically think the worst of him/her...

For some reason or another I saw a connection to your comment there.

 

[mick2]

liked the article up til where it said "there's the fan base" and then "the alumni base"

I actually tend to think that the fanbase is just as in line if not more in line with the alumni when it comes to maintaining the standards Notre Dame has set.

actually from my small sample size the fans are more supportive than the alumni.

Anywhoooo good article from forde, don't be fooled though, he enjoys playing the whats wrong with notre dame game as much as the next so called journalist.

 

[Rhode Irish]

I haven't had a poor opinion of Forde in the past, so I'm not totally surprised that he would be a person who gets it. It was a good defense of Notre Dame as an institution, and I'm sure it is much appreciated by most Irish fans (not, as Don Bishop asserted, only by alumni - he is barking up the wrong tree there, IMO).

But I don't agree with everything Forde said. I think he did a find job defending the Notre Dame ethos, but he also seems to accept that by maintaining standards it means ND can no longer compete at the highest level of football. I don't think that is true. I think having high standards increases the degree of difficulty and decreases the margin for error, but it isn't impossible. ND's inability to break through since Holtz left has more to do with coaching futility. I think it is premature to close the door on Notre Dame reestablishing itself as an elite CFB program.

 

[Rhode Irish]

liked the article up til where it said "there's the fan base" and then "the alumni base"

I actually tend to think that the fanbase is just as in line if not more in line with the alumni when it comes to maintaining the standards Notre Dame has set.

actually from my small sample size the fans are more supportive than the alumni.

Anywhoooo good article from forde, don't be fooled though, he enjoys playing the whats wrong with notre dame game as much as the next so called journalist.

Exactly. I didn't go to Notre Dame, and I don't live in Indiana. Hell, other than to go to ND games, I've never even been to Indiana. I chose to root for Notre Dame specifically because of what makes them different from all the other football factories. I don't want ND to become that. If they did, I really wouldn't have a reason to root for ND beyond habit.

 

[jmurphy75]

I couldn't believe this article and two of our players being named to ESPN's Preseason All American Team in the same day!

 

[mick2]

Exactly. I didn't go to Notre Dame, and I don't live in Indiana. Hell, other than to go to ND games, I've never even been to Indiana. I chose to root for Notre Dame specifically because of what makes them different from all the other football factories. I don't want ND to become that. If they did, I really wouldn't have a reason to root for ND beyond habit.

Yep.

although to be fair many of the alumni I know are of the old and crusty variety, I'm sure younger alumni may have a different outlook.

also, you don't need to look very far to find prominent alumni bashing the program, pinkett today, montana recently, hornung, etc.

 

[greyhammer90]

Exactly. I didn't go to Notre Dame, and I don't live in Indiana. Hell, other than to go to ND games, I've never even been to Indiana. I chose to root for Notre Dame specifically because of what makes them different from all the other football factories. I don't want ND to become that. If they did, I really wouldn't have a reason to root for ND beyond habit.

Bingo. If I had wanted to root for a team that just won football games and did nothing else I would have grown up Vol fan in the 90's like all my friends. I rooted for ND because they inspired me.

 

[aubeirish]

Fantastic article by Pat Forde. Is it me or when journalists get out of ESPN they become a tad better. Might just be an illusion.

 

[PLACforever]

Pat Forde, thank you.

Best Quote:
How dare the school recruit future societal leaders instead of the future medium-security detainees Pinkett wants?

 

[jakerbluegold]

The EXACT reason why I root for the Irish every single Saturday! Compromise nothing!

 

[Whiskeyjack]

This article brought a tear to my eye.

But I don't agree with everything Forde said. I think he did a find job defending the Notre Dame ethos, but he also seems to accept that by maintaining standards it means ND can no longer compete at the highest level of football. I don't think that is true. I think having high standards increases the degree of difficulty and decreases the margin for error, but it isn't impossible. ND's inability to break through since Holtz left has more to do with coaching futility. I think it is premature to close the door on Notre Dame reestablishing itself as an elite CFB program.

In Forde's defense, no one has done it. Stanford came closest in Luck's last two years, and they went 1-1 in BCS games. It's certainly not unreasonable to argue that in CFB's current landscape, ND and Stanford are facing very long odds of winning a title.

 

[aubeirish]

I know there is a lot of factors to this, but recruiting haven't been the problem. We have been recruiting well under Kelly and even under Weis. We have been consistently in the top 15 as far as recruiting goes. Obviously, at some other schools guys have more time to spend on football, and that could be a reason why we fall short. The Notre Dame effect is certainly another thing which doesn't help.

Then, you look at what Stanford was able to do with lesser talent (on paper) in the past few years. You immediately tell yourself that the problem has got to be coaching. In my humble opinion, great coaches can turn good to great. Harbaugh have that "fire". It's such a crucial trait in a coach, and I believe Kelly has it too. We have seen signs of it for the past two years. This team has change in the way they play. We are not perfect and there is a lot of question marks, but these kids want to go out there and compete. You can tell in their faces. At the end of the day, that is all we can ask for. Good things will happen, it has too.

P.S.: I didn't want to get into the whole QB situation. It has been talked about enough.

Go Irish!

 

[Cali_domer]

I know there is a lot of factors to this, but recruiting haven't been the problem. We have been recruiting well under Kelly and even under Weis. We have been consistently in the top 15 as far as recruiting goes. Obviously, at some other schools guys have more time to spend on football, and that could be a reason why we fall short. The Notre Dame effect is certainly another thing which doesn't help.

Then, you look at what Stanford was able to do with lesser talent (on paper) in the past few years. You immediately tell yourself that the problem has got to be coaching. In my humble opinion, great coaches can turn good to great. Harbaugh have that "fire". It's such a crucial trait in a coach, and I believe Kelly has it too. We have seen signs of it for the past two years. This team has change in the way they play. We are not perfect and there is a lot of question marks, but these kids want to go out there and compete. You can tell in their faces. At the end of the day, that is all we can ask for. Good things will happen, it has too.

P.S.: I didn't want to get into the whole QB situation. It has been talked about enough.

Go Irish!

Good post..

 

[mick2]

again, good article, but ND should not be blasted by the media and then have to be defended by articles like this one and schlabagh's. ND should be being praised for actually sticking to the student athlete model, and not succumbing to pressures that would diminish our values.

stupid asses like reilly shouldn't be outraged at a small private institution trying like hell to win games while doing things the right way, he should be outraged at the sec schools oversigning, and usc using ineligible players. and many of the other atrocities that happen in college athletics.

unfortunately journalists don't exist anymore and since an ND bashpiece is so easy to write and worth a zillion clicks we see them everywhere. Real journalists should be for everything ND stands for and in a perfect world every college football fan would too.

 

[RDU Irish]

Great article. Now let's see Forde follow up with one on the USC criminal jumping right back on the team and pulling the schollie from another guy.

 

[Irish#1]

Great article. Now let's see Forde follow up with one on the USC criminal jumping right back on the team and pulling the schollie from another guy.

Great article and that would be great if he did one on USC and their compromised values.

 

[irishtrain]

Used to not like Pat Forde very much but my opinion of him has increased exponentially: Notre Dame won't compromise values for wins - Yahoo! Sports

Of course Notre Dame is doing it right thats why we still pull/root for them. But the 85 pound weakling with horned rim classes is also to be commended as he gets his $#@ beat by the neighborhood bully.

 

[pumpdog20]

Man, I really hated this guy after the whole "ND is racist for firing TW" era. After this article, he has redeemed himself to me. I loved it.

 

[irishtrain]

again, good article, but ND should not be blasted by the media and then have to be defended by articles like this one and schlabagh's. ND should be being praised for actually sticking to the student athlete model, and not succumbing to pressures that would diminish our values.

stupid asses like reilly shouldn't be outraged at a small private institution trying like hell to win games while doing things the right way, he should be outraged at the sec schools oversigning, and usc using ineligible players. and many of the other atrocities that happen in college athletics.

unfortunately journalists don't exist anymore and since an ND bashpiece is so easy to write and worth a zillion clicks we see them everywhere. Real journalists should be for everything ND stands for and in a perfect world every college football fan would too.

Mick this statement is appropriate, to the point, and very very well written and stated, I would be proud of what you just said-But the real isuue is that we are know defending an underwhelmed/inept football program that has to be defended.

 

[ulukinatme]

Just saw this from Forde, I had to laugh about the last line:

Forde-Yard Dash: Tackling BCS smear campaigns and doling out midseason awards - Yahoo! Sports

Notre Dame (5): Ad opens with unflattering, slo-mo video of purple-faced Brian Kelly from 2010. “This man wants you to believe that Notre Dame is back as a national title contender.” Cut to quick montage of Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue all turning the ball over against Notre Dame. “The fact is, the Fighting Irish have built their record by beating teams from the worst Big Ten Conference ever. Those September victories have all been devalued. Without them, Notre Dame’s resume is full of holes.” Cut to slow-motion video loop of Stanford’s Stepfan Taylor squirming toward the goal line Saturday night, over and over. “And if it weren’t for the officials, Notre Dame would have a loss by now.” Cut to video of the Irish being strafed by JaMarcus Russell and Troy Smith in BCS bowl games past. “We’ve seen the devastating results of BCS favoritism for Notre Dame in the past. Don’t let a mismatch happen again.”

Paid for by Domer Doubters International, Mark May treasurer.